Inspiration Mars is absolutely “feeling the time crunch” as 2018 looms

It’s been half a year since Dennis Tito, a multimillionaire and first private astronaut, announced his audacious plans to send a married couple on spaceflight to within 100 miles of the surface of Mars — and back.

Since then planners of this Inspiration Mars mission have been quiet. Does that mean the idea has faded away?

To find out I checked in with Taber MacCallum, program manager, Inspiration Mars.

What has Inspiration Mars been up to? Why the secrecy?

“It’s been sort of frustrating because I want to tell everyone what’s going on,” MacCallum said. The project has been busy figuring out what spacecraft components, such as the capsule and life support systems, will be optimal for the 501-day round-trip mission. They’ve been negotiating with companies under non-disclosure agreements. MacCallum said he expected to be able to discuss the architecture of the mission in detail by the end of the year.

An artist’s rendering of the spacecraft. (Inspiration Mars)

What’s the biggest technical challenge?

One of them is getting the crew safely home through Earth’s atmosphere. Apollo astronauts flying back from the moon hit speeds of 25,000 mph in Earth’s atmosphere, which required extensive shielding. With the Mars flight, speeds will near 32,000 mph, and the difference is not linear, MacCallum said. Which means shielding is going to be an especially difficult problem. Inspiration Mars has been working with NASA’s Ames Research Center to identify optimal shielding.

Speaking of NASA, are they receptive to the mission?

“We’re finding that we’re having a closer and closer relationship with NASA,” MacCallum said. In fact he expects to test some of the hardware needed for the long-duration spaceflight on the International Space Station. “I think, if it were not for the ISS, this mission would be impossible,” he said.

MacCallum. (Paragon Space Development Corporation)

How close are you to picking astronauts?

Baylor College of Medicine’s Dr. Jonathan Clark is leading the process of identifying astronauts for the mission and doing the selection. However, because of the growing relationship with NASA, MacCallum said ultimately the space agency may ultimately conduct the selection process, and the candidates might be NASA astronauts.

Due to orbital mechanics time is short. The mission has to launch in 2018. Do they you a time crunch?

“We are feeling the time crunch, absolutely, which is one reason for having our nose down to the grindstone,” MacCallum said. “It’s a scary short time. It’s audacious and crazy, and this is just crazy enough to work.” To remain on the timeline, MacCallum said Inspiration Mars needs to be looking at a preliminary design review for the flight in the first third of 2014, which means having the design, associated production and ground support plans for the mission sketched out.

How is fund-raising going?

The program has money for this year and next thanks to Tito. To fund the mission itself, there are two steps. First, MacCallum said, is to obtain in-kind donations of hardware from industry participants, the kinds of companies who would hope to see their hardware used on future, deep-space exploration missions. Secondly, there will be naming-rights and media-rights opportunities along with philanthropy.